U.S. and the World

Tillerson’s stake in Russia’s energy industry could create a very blurry line between his interests as an oilman and his role as America’s leading diplomat. “As secretary of state, he would be called upon to negotiate with world leaders like Vladimir Putin,” said prof. Klare. “In these negotiations, one has to wonder what would influence the types of deals he is making. Questions arise over whether his actions would be benefiting his company or the interests of the U.S. and its allies.” read more

"The Obama administration is running out of time to completely suspend U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia or be forever linked to Yemen wartime atrocities," HRW's Motaparthy said. A Saudi-led coalition supported by the U.S. launched air campaigns on behalf of Yemen's internationally recognized government. More than 4,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict, and some 3 million have been displaced. HRW said fragments of the weapons used in attacks show they were produced in the U.S. read more

Of all President-elect Donald Trump’s rivals over the past year, the tiny narrow-mouthed whorl snail must be the smallest. Sometimes, though, less is more: Now it appears that the snail has prevailed. The sea wall plan had attracted attention because the Trump Organization’s representatives had used the threat of rising seawater from climate change as a rationale for building it, even though Trump has referred to climate change as a hoax. read more

Amid growing security tensions in the West, governments, intelligence agencies and advocacy groups want Google, Microsoft and other tech firms to take further steps to curb hate speech, as well as to clamp down on how terrorists circulate information online. But freedom of expression advocates have warned that such demands may limit people’s ability to communicate across the internet, and they have cautioned that the line between hate speech and legitimate political discussion can be blurry. read more

That finding puts respondents in the United States in contrast with citizens of many countries and at odds with international law, which prohibits torture under any circumstances. On the campaign trail, Donald Trump endorsed waterboarding, claiming that “it works.” Only Israelis, Palestinians and Nigerians seemed to endorse torture as enthusiastically as Americans. Forty percent of Americans also accepted the killing of humanitarian workers in a conflict zone as being part of war. read more

Trump mystified many with his praise for Putin. But what seemed inexplicable when Trump first expressed his admiration for the Russian leader seems, in retrospect, to have been a shrewd dog whistle to a small but highly motivated part of his base. AltRight's Spencer claimed that “an understanding” between Trump and Putin might bring together Slavic and American Caucasians and eventually “foretell a unified white world.” read more

The multi-billion-dollar project, the biggest in Taiwan's history, is seeking investors. And a representative of Donald Trump took a meeting. “She had authorization documents issued by the Trump company,” confirmed the Taoyuan mayor on Nov. 18. The meeting went largely unnoticed outside Taiwan until Friday, when president-elect Trump received a congratulatory phone call from the Taiwan’s president. Now, the perception of a possible business conflict in Taiwan further complicates the situation. read more

“The fake news is the good news,” the 18-year-old said. “A fake news article is way more opened than any other.” He ripped much of his material off a right-wing news site that produces a steady drumbeat of pro-Donald Trump pieces. With 685,000+ page views a week, his monthly revenue is in the four figures, a considerable sum in a country where the average monthly pay is $383. He sees it all as a money-making scheme and preparation for his career after high school--in marketing and politics. read more

He endured aggressive interrogations at border crossings in some of the world’s most authoritarian nations. But a recent confrontation at the U.S. border left him shaken. U.S. agents confiscated his phones and retained their SIM cards that held his confidential data. Privacy advocates said it illustrated a loophole that’s especially problematic for journalists: Without a warrant, U.S. border agents can legally search digital devices that they wouldn’t be able to touch anywhere else. read more

Terry Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families and Survivors United For Justice Against Terrorism, said Graham and McCain are seeking to "torpedo" the law by making changes demanded by Saudi Arabia's lobbyists. "We have reviewed the language, and it is an absolute betrayal," Strada said. "The president-elect has made his support for JASTA crystal clear, and there is zero risk that he will support this kind of backroom backstabbing of the 9/11 families." read more

In Germany, more than almost anywhere else in the West, lawmakers are demanding that Facebook go further to police what is said on the social network. The country’s lawmakers also want other U.S. tech giants to meet similar standards. “Facebook has a certain responsibility to uphold the laws,” said Heiko Maas, the German justice minister. In October, Maas suggested the company could be held criminally liable for users’ illegal hate speech postings if it does not swiftly remove them. read more

Magal has built high-tech walls along Israel's volatile borders, as well as a high-tech barrier separating the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip from Israel. Its products include cameras, sophisticated sensors, robots and software to operate the systems. Despite a mixed record of profitability and a historically volatile stock, the company's shares have surged on the Nasdaq Stock Market since Donald Trump was elected president on Nov. 8. "For sure this will be a mega project," said CEO Koursh. read more

Facebook has quietly developed software for China to suppress posts from appearing in people’s news feeds in specific geographic areas. The feature was created to help Facebook get into China. It illustrates the extent to which Facebook may be willing to compromise one of its core mission statements, “to make the world more open and connected,” to gain access to a market of 1.4 billion Chinese people. Several employees have left Facebook after expressing misgivings about it. read more

Trump on the campaign trail pledged to break up trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, deport illegal migrants and build a wall to keep out millions from Mexico and Latin America, sending shockwaves across a region that for two centuries has looked northward for policy guidance. Nobody in the region is expecting much from Trump in terms of really productive policy. That leaves room for China to play a much more important role," said China expert Margaret Myers. read more

The past months of Mihail Gofman's life read like spy fiction: Fleeing to Washington from Moldova pursuers, he gives U.S. officials information he claims links top Moldovan political leaders and possibly U.S. citizens to a $1 billion heist that gutted the tiny eastern European nation's banking system. Now he's holed up in Washington trying to make the case that Americans should care what happened in a little-known country 5,000 miles away — and to help it try to recover the missing money. read more

China and other countries will stay committed to the Paris Agreement on climate change, irrespective of what the next U.S. administration does. “Of course they are going to move forward,” said U.S. climate envoy Pershing. “I’m hearing the same from the Europeans...the Brazilians. I’m hearing the same from Mexico...Canada...Costa Rica and from Colombia.” Trump has called global warming a “hoax” on social media and promised during his campaign to “cancel” the Paris deal adopted last year. read more

U.S. and the World

Tillerson’s stake in Russia’s energy industry could create a very blurry line between his interests as an oilman and his role as America’s leading diplomat. “As secretary of state, he would be called upon to negotiate with world leaders like Vladimir Putin,” said prof. Klare. “In these negotiations, one has to wonder what would influence the types of deals he is making. Questions arise over whether his actions would be benefiting his company or the interests of the U.S. and its allies.” read more

"The Obama administration is running out of time to completely suspend U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia or be forever linked to Yemen wartime atrocities," HRW's Motaparthy said. A Saudi-led coalition supported by the U.S. launched air campaigns on behalf of Yemen's internationally recognized government. More than 4,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict, and some 3 million have been displaced. HRW said fragments of the weapons used in attacks show they were produced in the U.S. read more

Of all President-elect Donald Trump’s rivals over the past year, the tiny narrow-mouthed whorl snail must be the smallest. Sometimes, though, less is more: Now it appears that the snail has prevailed. The sea wall plan had attracted attention because the Trump Organization’s representatives had used the threat of rising seawater from climate change as a rationale for building it, even though Trump has referred to climate change as a hoax. read more

Amid growing security tensions in the West, governments, intelligence agencies and advocacy groups want Google, Microsoft and other tech firms to take further steps to curb hate speech, as well as to clamp down on how terrorists circulate information online. But freedom of expression advocates have warned that such demands may limit people’s ability to communicate across the internet, and they have cautioned that the line between hate speech and legitimate political discussion can be blurry. read more

That finding puts respondents in the United States in contrast with citizens of many countries and at odds with international law, which prohibits torture under any circumstances. On the campaign trail, Donald Trump endorsed waterboarding, claiming that “it works.” Only Israelis, Palestinians and Nigerians seemed to endorse torture as enthusiastically as Americans. Forty percent of Americans also accepted the killing of humanitarian workers in a conflict zone as being part of war. read more

Trump mystified many with his praise for Putin. But what seemed inexplicable when Trump first expressed his admiration for the Russian leader seems, in retrospect, to have been a shrewd dog whistle to a small but highly motivated part of his base. AltRight's Spencer claimed that “an understanding” between Trump and Putin might bring together Slavic and American Caucasians and eventually “foretell a unified white world.” read more

The multi-billion-dollar project, the biggest in Taiwan's history, is seeking investors. And a representative of Donald Trump took a meeting. “She had authorization documents issued by the Trump company,” confirmed the Taoyuan mayor on Nov. 18. The meeting went largely unnoticed outside Taiwan until Friday, when president-elect Trump received a congratulatory phone call from the Taiwan’s president. Now, the perception of a possible business conflict in Taiwan further complicates the situation. read more

“The fake news is the good news,” the 18-year-old said. “A fake news article is way more opened than any other.” He ripped much of his material off a right-wing news site that produces a steady drumbeat of pro-Donald Trump pieces. With 685,000+ page views a week, his monthly revenue is in the four figures, a considerable sum in a country where the average monthly pay is $383. He sees it all as a money-making scheme and preparation for his career after high school--in marketing and politics. read more

He endured aggressive interrogations at border crossings in some of the world’s most authoritarian nations. But a recent confrontation at the U.S. border left him shaken. U.S. agents confiscated his phones and retained their SIM cards that held his confidential data. Privacy advocates said it illustrated a loophole that’s especially problematic for journalists: Without a warrant, U.S. border agents can legally search digital devices that they wouldn’t be able to touch anywhere else. read more

Terry Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families and Survivors United For Justice Against Terrorism, said Graham and McCain are seeking to "torpedo" the law by making changes demanded by Saudi Arabia's lobbyists. "We have reviewed the language, and it is an absolute betrayal," Strada said. "The president-elect has made his support for JASTA crystal clear, and there is zero risk that he will support this kind of backroom backstabbing of the 9/11 families." read more

In Germany, more than almost anywhere else in the West, lawmakers are demanding that Facebook go further to police what is said on the social network. The country’s lawmakers also want other U.S. tech giants to meet similar standards. “Facebook has a certain responsibility to uphold the laws,” said Heiko Maas, the German justice minister. In October, Maas suggested the company could be held criminally liable for users’ illegal hate speech postings if it does not swiftly remove them. read more

Magal has built high-tech walls along Israel's volatile borders, as well as a high-tech barrier separating the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip from Israel. Its products include cameras, sophisticated sensors, robots and software to operate the systems. Despite a mixed record of profitability and a historically volatile stock, the company's shares have surged on the Nasdaq Stock Market since Donald Trump was elected president on Nov. 8. "For sure this will be a mega project," said CEO Koursh. read more

Facebook has quietly developed software for China to suppress posts from appearing in people’s news feeds in specific geographic areas. The feature was created to help Facebook get into China. It illustrates the extent to which Facebook may be willing to compromise one of its core mission statements, “to make the world more open and connected,” to gain access to a market of 1.4 billion Chinese people. Several employees have left Facebook after expressing misgivings about it. read more

Trump on the campaign trail pledged to break up trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, deport illegal migrants and build a wall to keep out millions from Mexico and Latin America, sending shockwaves across a region that for two centuries has looked northward for policy guidance. Nobody in the region is expecting much from Trump in terms of really productive policy. That leaves room for China to play a much more important role," said China expert Margaret Myers. read more

The past months of Mihail Gofman's life read like spy fiction: Fleeing to Washington from Moldova pursuers, he gives U.S. officials information he claims links top Moldovan political leaders and possibly U.S. citizens to a $1 billion heist that gutted the tiny eastern European nation's banking system. Now he's holed up in Washington trying to make the case that Americans should care what happened in a little-known country 5,000 miles away — and to help it try to recover the missing money. read more

China and other countries will stay committed to the Paris Agreement on climate change, irrespective of what the next U.S. administration does. “Of course they are going to move forward,” said U.S. climate envoy Pershing. “I’m hearing the same from the Europeans...the Brazilians. I’m hearing the same from Mexico...Canada...Costa Rica and from Colombia.” Trump has called global warming a “hoax” on social media and promised during his campaign to “cancel” the Paris deal adopted last year. read more